Match ends, Borussia Dortmund 2, Paris Saint Germain 1.
B DortmundBorussia Dortmund2PSGParis Saint Germain1
Erling Braut Haaland continued his remarkable scoring form this season with two more goals to give Borussia Dortmund the advantage over Paris St-Germain in their Champions League last-16 tie.
The 19-year-old Norwegian showed two distinct sides of his impressive game with two second-half strikes - the first a predatory finish after Raphael Guerreiro's shot was blocked and the second a left-footed thunderbolt from 20 yards.
They took his tally for the season to a stunning 39 goals in only 29 appearances, and 11 in seven since joining Dortmund in January.
In between the Haaland goals, Neymar briefly drew the visitors level, slotting in a low Kylian Mbappe cross on his return following four matches out with a rib injury.
But he was outshone by Haaland, who gave the German side the result their positive display deserved and a narrow lead to take to the Parc des Princes for the second leg on 11 March.
The result also marks a disappointing return to Dortmund for PSG boss Thomas Tuchel, who spent two successful seasons at Dortmund from 2015 to 2017 before being sacked in acrimonious circumstances shortly after winning the German Cup.
However, Tuchel and his side will be confident that they can turn the tie in their favour and go beyond the last 16 for the first time in four seasons on a ground where they have netted 18 times in four games in 2020.
- What to look out for as Champions League returns
- Erling Haaland: Dortmund's wonder kid cannot stop scoring
Haaland the talk of Europe again
There is a different pressure on Dortmund to that currently weighing on their opponents - not one exerted by a weight of money spent and resultant expectation, but by time and their place in football's food chain.
As has been the case in previous years, you suspect the young and supremely talented collection of players that have been brought together at Signal Iduna Park will be picked off by one of Europe's apex predators, possibly as early as the coming summer.
Haaland has only been at the club a few months but you know that even now rivals are eyeing him enviously.
How Manchester United must wish they had been able to convince him to join them from Austrian side RB Salzburg instead of moving to the Bundesliga.
Right now, though, Dortmund and the son of former Leeds and Manchester City midfielder Alf Inge Haaland are perfect for each other.
He was quiet for much of the first half, restricted to a couple of half-chances. But he is a natural goalscorer, always alive to an opportunity, and when the ball fell loose in the box in the 69th minute there was never any doubt who would be first to it.
His second goal was a different matter altogether - a brute of a shot coming after a gem of a first touch, rising from the moment it left his boot and flashing past keeper Keylor Navas' dive to his right. It was a goal born from confidence but executed with brilliance.
"These are the moments you play football for. I really enjoyed it," said Haaland.
Team-mate Axel Witsel told French broadcaster RMC Sport: "He still has huge room for improvement but he is on the road to becoming a truly great player."
Haaland is not the only high-profile, high-performing teenage talent in this Dortmund side, though.
England's Jadon Sancho impressed too with his direct running, dribbling and constant awareness of space and his team-mates' location.
At the back, 20-year-old Dan-Axel Zagadou was strong and composed in the face of a PSG attack that has scored 44 goals in 12 games this year.
PSG can and should be better
With the French title becoming increasingly a formality season on season, PSG's progress is measured by their Champions League performance and in that regard they have plateaued, exiting at this stage in each of the past three campaigns.
There has been a sense, though, that this time around things may be different under manager Tuchel.
This is a more balanced PSG side than previous iterations and one tougher to break down, as evidenced by their concession of only two goals in six group games this season - the fewest of any side in the competition.
They are not bad going forward either, especially when they can add Neymar to a team that scored 16 times in four games in his absence.
When he stayed on his feet, the Brazilian was a constant menace, dropping deep to gather the ball before driving at pace at an increasingly fearful defence.
He flashed an early free-kick wide, was rewarded for his alertness to tap home the equaliser and could have dragged his side level again late in the game with a fierce shot that struck the outside of the post.
Ultimately, though, PSG did not create enough, with Angel di Maria missing for large periods and Mbappe a disappointment, despite his assist for the goal.
The runaway Ligue 1 leaders have another chance to put things right but are once again faced with the prospect of an exit way earlier than their lavish outlay demands.
"We didn't have enough possession, we made too many easy mistakes, we weren't smart enough and we lost the ball too early," said Tuchel. "It's difficult, but it's 2-1 and we still have a few games left to get back into the rhythm."
Man of the match - Erling Braut Haaland (Borussia Dortmund)
Haaland outshines Mbappe - match stats
- Borussia Dortmund have progressed from each of their previous four Champions League knockout ties when winning the first leg - against Auxerre and Manchester United in in 1996-97, Real Madrid in 2012-13 and Zenit St Petersburg in 2013-14.
- Paris St-Germain have only won two of their past nine away games in the Champions League knockout stages (D1 L6), losing four of the past five.
- Dortmund's past 24 goals in the Champions League have come from open play, the longest current run among the remaining sides in the competition.
- Haaland is only the second player to score 10 Champions League goals as a teenager, after Kylian Mbappe (13), and the first to do so in a single campaign in the competition.
- Haaland has scored 11 goals in seven games for Dortmund, the most of any player for a club in the top five European leagues (all competitions) since his debut in January.
- Dortmund's Giovanni Reyna (17 years 97 days) is the youngest player to assist a goal in the Champions League since November 2007, when Bojan did so for Barcelona, (aged 17 years 91 days against Lyon).
Line-ups
B Dortmund
Formation 3-4-3
- 1Bürki
- 26Piszczek
- 15Hummels
- 2Zagadou
- 5Hakimi
- 27Can
- 28WitselBooked at 44mins
- 13Guerreiro
- 7SanchoSubstituted forSchmelzerat 90+1'minutes
- 17Haaland
- 23T HazardSubstituted forReynaat 67'minutes
Substitutes
- 8Dahoud
- 10Götze
- 14Schulz
- 16Akanji
- 29Schmelzer
- 32Reyna
- 35Hitz
PSG
Formation 3-4-2-1
- 1Navas
- 5Marquinhos
- 2Thiago Silva
- 3Kimpembe
- 12MeunierBooked at 87mins
- 27GueyeBooked at 54mins
- 6VerrattiBooked at 89mins
- 20Kurzawa
- 11Di MaríaSubstituted forSarabiaat 76'minutes
- 10NeymarBooked at 59mins
- 7Mbappé
Substitutes
- 4Kehrer
- 9Cavani
- 16Rico
- 18Icardi
- 19Sarabia
- 23Draxler
- 35Kouassi
- Referee:
- Antonio Miguel Mateu Lahoz
- Attendance:
- 66,099
Match Stats
Home TeamB DortmundAway TeamPSG
- Possession
- Home47%
- Away53%
- Shots
- Home12
- Away10
- Shots on Target
- Home3
- Away3
- Corners
- Home3
- Away3
- Fouls
- Home13
- Away11
Live Text
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Full Time
Second Half ends, Borussia Dortmund 2, Paris Saint Germain 1.
Post update
Attempt missed. Thiago Silva (Paris Saint Germain) header from the left side of the six yard box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Neymar with a cross following a corner.
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Corner, Paris Saint Germain. Conceded by Dan-Axel Zagadou.
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Attempt blocked. Marquinhos (Paris Saint Germain) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Neymar.
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Thiago Silva (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund).
Substitution
Substitution, Borussia Dortmund. Marcel Schmelzer replaces Jadon Sancho.
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Foul by Marquinhos (Paris Saint Germain).
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Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Booking
Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain) is shown the yellow card.
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Foul by Idrissa Gueye (Paris Saint Germain).
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Axel Witsel (Borussia Dortmund) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Idrissa Gueye (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
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Foul by Giovanni Reyna (Borussia Dortmund).
Booking
Thomas Meunier (Paris Saint Germain) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
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Foul by Thomas Meunier (Paris Saint Germain).
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Giovanni Reyna (Borussia Dortmund) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Attempt blocked. Neymar (Paris Saint Germain) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Pablo Sarabia.
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Attempt missed. Achraf Hakimi (Borussia Dortmund) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Jadon Sancho.
Comments
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Well done BD, the sooner PSG are knocked out the better!
Just shows how much it costs for someone with real talent and an attitude to work hard, rather than all those huge egos/do f*ck all on the training ground
Who would you like to see win something like the Ballon d'or?
Up vote Haaland, down vote Mbappe
Reading the gossip column here, every second player mentioned seems to be linked with Man U.
In spite of that, they end up with Odeon Igloo.